It wasn’t a situation where I calmly pulled over to the side of the road and casually decompressed. Heavy traffic is a common meltdown trigger for me – and it’s a very dangerous place to have a meltdown. In this particular case, the severe traffic jam I got stuck in after the appointment was the final trigger. You might assume this frustrating session itself was the trigger that sparked the meltdown, but it was not. The gist of it was that my therapist had mentioned my autistic traits, and in my attempt to clarify if I was on the spectrum, I was met with an unexpectedly apathetic response. Recently, I had a frustrating session with my therapist which resulted in my experiencing a serious meltdown afterward. There are things that can help, with the first and most crucial being to remove the person from the source of the trigger or the environment that is causing the stress. It’s analogous to an overloaded battery – its power dissipates due to the load, ultimately resulting in total depletion of all its stored energy. Related: Why I Made a Custom Trick-or-Treat Bag for My Son Who Is Nonverbal It has to run its course until it’s over, and the only thing that will end it is the passage of time. Meltdowns are unpleasant experiences for everyone involved and can leave people feeling exhausted.Once an autistic meltdown begins, there is nothing that can be given to the individual to stop it, as they were never seeking anything in the first place. The key is to recognise the signs in the build up stage and intervene then to prevent the meltdown. Wait until you are both rested and calm.Īfter the recovery stage, find an opportunity to discuss the meltdown with the individual to reflect on why it happened, and plan to avoid melt-downs in the future. Do not discuss the incident during recovery. Children may feel a lot of guilt, shame and remorse from these outbursts. It generally consists of either withdrawing or sleeping. Everyone involved is likely to feel emotionally drained. Each person will act differently at this stage. Try not to take the behaviour personally! Suggested strategies in this stage are based around protecting, planning, prompting, preventing and the use of timers. Do not try to teach new skills or redirect during this stage. The number one priority is safety for the child and those around them. There is no point trying to reason in this stage. This is when behaviour becomes explosive and uncontrolled. These might include for example the use of headphones to block out noise or the introduction of break cards to use before the environment becomes too overwhelming. In these circumstances you may need to introduce tools to help coping with a situation. If the build up is in relation to sensory sensitivities then ideally you will change the environment to accommodate the individual or remove the individual from the sensory input. It is important to remain calm and quiet, try to provide a safe environment and a cool down space and use routine where possible. These include: limiting instructions, redirecting, a break, a sensory toy or engagement in physical activity. There are a number of ways to intervene in this stage depending on the type of meltdown. It usually consists of physical, verbal and behavioural signs. This is also known as the anxiety and defensive stage. There are generally three stages to a meltdown the build up, the meltdown/shutdown and recovery. Behavioural meltdowns generally occur in response to overwhelming feelings due to changes in the environment, increased anxiety, and social interaction or communication difficulties. Often with sensory meltdowns it will be 0-100 “fight or flight” mode in a matter of seconds and you may not see it coming. It is essential to understand how these sensory sensitivities may impact on an individual’s behaviour and well being. Sensory processing difficulties are neurological by nature and include difficulties with receiving, processing and responding to sensory input. Sensory sensitivities are a key issue for many people including those with neurological differences, mental health problems, autism and other conditions. Meltdowns are not tantrums the most distinguishing difference is that meltdowns are uncontrollable, while tantrums are voluntary or purposeful and often used to manipulate a situation to achieve a desired outcome. Meltdowns are involuntary responses to overwhelming feelings and to over-stimulating environments.
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